My Process at Plein Air Workshop, Start to Finish

Just to give you an idea of how I work in a Plein Air situation . . . I've show a sampling of the two pieces from the recent Plein Air Workshop at Lithia Springs Resort in Ashland.

The first image I chose was of this ivory gazebo. I am constantly attracted to high contrast . . . so you can see the dark background furnishing that perfect subject for me. I wanted to portray the gazebo in the focal area so it was going to catch sunshine and I moved a red rosebush (sorry gardeners, it's an artists privilege) over to the right corner of the steps. I'm thinking, "compliments against the green foliage" and use my wax crayons to sketch them into place. You also can see some of the white wax crayon indications on the edges of the aspen trees where they catch high lights and some dark purple wax crayon in the deep shadows at the base of the gazebo. These serve as great reminders of my original value study (which you can see the corner of in the top left)! The Aureolin Yellow includes my foreground area and bright yellow areas that I want to glow through other pigments that I will layer with. I've also added an imagined shadow in the foreground to lead you into the painting and create dark/light/dark progressions from bottom to top.

As I work on the piece, I add variation in shape and add dark value pigment colors in the shadows. I fill in details of the flowers and sharpen the architectural edges in the building. One of the final things I do is bounce around the entire painting adding color accents to help balance all the color over the entire piece. I mean, there really is no reason why there is red sprinkled in that aspen tree in the foreground . . . other than I like it there. Again, isn't it fun having the artists' prerogative?

Don't worry, I did not finish this on site the first day. I got to the initial stage above (working, perhaps 30 minutes after I had the drawing done) and then, took the piece home to spend about 3 - 3 1/2 more hours on it. Finally feeling it was complete.

The following day, my vision was of this more complex pond/bridge scene. I'd planned for sun to play lots of different darks and lights for me - - but, remember, it was a cloudy day. So I set to accent the color rather than the value. You notice in both 'starts', I tend to get basic planes determined with yellow, then blue (of course, saving exaggerated whites) and then, move into exaggerating the darks. I have to say, that is what starts getting me excited (remember, I'm a contrast junkie!). And I usually just start bounding around adding bold colors. But in the case of the a demo, I stop to work with the other participants and really don't get much farther. I just have to get back into that 'zone' of reacting back and forth between the painting and my palette and the magic takes over again.

But you can see, I've not ventured there - yet - with my second day's painting. I believe I will take it in to the Ashland Studio for our upcoming Ashland First Friday Artwalk, September 3rd, and work it there, right before your very eyes. So, come watch if you like. Otherwise, I'll post it here, once she's done.


And now, go out and give the out-of-doors a visit for your plein air experience. Remember, it can be just as much about being in the beauty and marvel of nature as it is about creating a painting. Enjoy the experience . . .

Introduction to Plein Air Painting ~ A New Duo

One of the heavenly benefits to renting a studio space upstairs at the Ashland Art Center is - that you get to know your peer artists and they furnish a wealth of wisdom and talent.

One such artist is my studio neighbor, Silvia Trujillo. She's kind, sincere, warm and, as our Art Center Executive Director says, "the artists artist"! Silvia Trujillo is a well known artist and art instructor from the Sacramento region of California. She has won numerous awards for her paintings. “To constantly produce paintings that are original and unique” is one of her foremost goals. With Silvia just to my right, day in and day out, a gentle friendship has grown. and she's a devout instructor of, well, pick a media . . . oil, acrylics and even watercolor. Her life totally is painting and graciously, in forming this new duo, she has given me the "watercolor" arena.

She'd suggested we do a class together . . . and we'd tossed around painting on location. We considered a beach venue, too far to drive and consider lodging too. We considered a vineyard venue, THAT we will do for the fall workshop. Well, finally we decided and will be meeting at the lovely Lithia Springs Resort (http://www.ashlandinn.com/hotel-ashland-oregon.php) offering the "Silvia Trujillo and Elaine Frenett Plein Air Painting Workshop"!

We'll offer a two day series, August 14th & 15th, meeting from 8:30am to 12:30pm both days. With a lovely pond, charming sheds, lush flowers, a fountain and mountain backdrops, we'll find a variety of images from which to paint. A couple of years ago I did a sketch in my journal there, isn't it just the cutest building? And here's a plein air piece Silvia did on location there too. There will be a "Sharing or Critique" time when we break for lunch. On the preceding Thursday we will have an optional "Introduction" Hour, 6:30-7:30pm at the Ashland Art Center (http://www.ashlandartcenter.org/pages/main.html), where we'll discuss materials, composition, color and light. Both Silvia (who will work exclusively with Oil and Acrylic students) and I (who will focus on watercolor) will limit the class to 7 students each.

I'm excited about this new adventure with a new artist friend. Isn't being an artist just the best? Well, perhaps being an enlightened Buddhist monk exceeds that, but I'm closer to being an artist. So, I'll stick with what I'm doing better and strive for the other. Thanks for joining me along this happy life's trek!